Canada Senate Gives Approval to Marijuana Legalization

A bill to legalize marijuana, proposed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has been passed by the Senate through its third and final reading.

The legislation – C-45 – has already been passed by the House of Commons, but will go back for one final vote on Senate amendments before being sent to the Governor General for Royal Assent (final approval). It was passed by the Senate 56 to 30.

Once the law takes effect, the possession and cultivation of personal amounts of marijuana will be legal for those 18 and older. The law authorizes licensed marijuana businesses to sell marijuana and marijuana products, and also allows online sales (which will be handled similarly to how the country currently allows online medical marijuana sales).

Passage of the law makes Canada the second country, following Uruguay (2013), to officially legalize marijuana. Uruguay also has their age limit set at 18.

A C.D. Howe Institute report released last year found that legal marijuana will bring Canada around $675 million in annual tax revenue.

Anthony Martinelli

Anthony is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheJointBlog. He has worked closely with numerous elected officials who support cannabis law reform, including as the former Campaign Manager for King County (WA) Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. He has been published by multiple media outlets, and is a former contributor for Village Voice Media.